I would like to take this time, a time when people are understandably stressed and tensions are running high, to remind all Nightscrawlers Chat users of the Nightscrawlers Chat rules.

Welcome to Nightscrawlers Chat (chat.nightscrawlers.com)!

This server is a member of the Shadowed Corner IRC Network.

The Shadowed Corner IRC Network is administered by the managers of the Shadowed Corner LLC, a limited liability corporation registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America.

All users, regardless of their operator/administrator status or lack thereof, are to be treated with respect at all times. The Network administrators reserve the right to ban any user from the Network for any reason, including but not limited to violation of this mandate. The Network administrators do not otherwise moderate any of the behavior or content on this Network.

This rule is posted both on the Web page for Nightscrawlers Chat and beside Nightscrawlers Chat upon login. It is displayed as the server's message of the day, which most (but not all) third-party chat clients display upon login. It can be requested by typing /motd or /rules. It has not been posted on the forum before, to my knowledge, but now it has, and from this point forward, it will be assumed that all users are aware of this rule, and there will be no further warnings regarding it.

I appreciate that this is a time of change for Nightscrawlearth. I have no opinion regarding the changes that have been made thus far; I haven't been a player for at least a year, and I therefore reserve my judgment as entirely irrelevant. However, the reaction to these changes concerns me as Nightscrawlearth is hosted on Nightscrawlers Chat.

Nightscrawlers Chat is a service that I provide to Nightscrawlers for no charge. It was not a cheap nor an easy service to implement, and it is still neither cheap nor easy to maintain. I provide this service to Nightscrawlers because I've been a member of Nightscrawlers since 2003, I have enjoyed my time in the community, I love my fellow members of the community, and I had the capability to provide them a service.

In return, I ask only one thing: that users of the service respect the one rule that has been put in place to maintain a friendly and healthy atmosphere. Nightscrawlers Chat was not implemented to add stress or tension to our already stressful lives. Nightscrawlers Chat should be a place to blow off steam and to enjoy the company of the members of our community.

I don't spend a great deal of time on Nightscrawlers Chat because I'm very busy, and recently I took some time off for a vacation. When I came back, I reviewed a great deal of the public conversations that have been had regarding the changes to Nightscrawlearth. And I am absolutely appalled by the incredible lack of respect that has been shown to community members and community staff alike. If I had been present for these conversations, it would not have been tolerated, and I want to make it clear that no one in this community has to tolerate this level of disrespect.

If you encounter blatant disrespect, either directed at you or to another member of this community, please report it. I can't be present at all times to enforce the one Nightscrawlers Chat rule; every user has a responsibility to help maintain the friendly and healthy atmosphere that makes Nightscrawlers such a great community. All reports are anonymous; indeed, since public conversations are logged (by all users and also by the system), and therefore disciplinary action may in fact be initiated without any report having been made in the first place. I don't prefer to use the forum as a venue for these reports; you can e-mail me at hoodedman@shadowedcorner.com.

Please feel free to reply to this post or to e-mail me with any comments, concerns, or questions you may have regarding this rule and the administration of Nightscrawlers Chat in general.